1K Churches is an ecumenical Christian initiative to build a base of congregations and individuals committed to discovering God’s Economy and transforming our own. Through participating in a Bible study and making an investment in micro-businesses in their local communities, church members will explore their individual and institutional call as economic actors. The name “1K Churches” comes from the vision that by 2017, one thousand churches across the U.S. will be actively engaged, making this initiative a movement.
Our mission is to broaden what matters in our economic decisions by expanding who has power and influence in the work of reinventing the economy.
Since our founding, we have partnered with churches because they inspire a large number of people to imagine greater possibilities.
Meet Rev. Philip Waite, a new friend of Criterion Institute, who has a passion for connecting faith and finance to do God’s work in the world. Rev. Waite is pastoral team leader of College Mennonite Church on the campus of Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana.
Now in our third year of interest-free lending to small businesses in greater Austin, University United Methodist’s most valuable “dividend” is our relationships with our neighbors providing the “sweat equity” to start or grow those businesses.
Hope was the first word spoken. Members of the 1K Churches team at Napa Valley Lutheran Church (Napa, California) had been asked to use one word to express what they were feeling now -- four years since they first began with the Bible study.
In God’s economy, members of the human family work together for the common good – producing, growing, building, trading, serving and caring for one another.
More than two years ago, The Church of the Good Shepherd (Episcopal) in Ruxton, Maryland, launched its Micro-Lending Program. To date they have made 11 loans totaling $34,750. How did they do it?
Criterion Institute's develops congregational guides and support in an initiative to build a base of congregations and individuals committed to discovering God’s Economy and transforming our own.
Since 2016, Criterion Institute has been delivering our signature workshop, TOOLKIT for Using Finance for Social Change to audiences throughout the globe.
Our work depends on an ever-expanding community of team members, advisors, donors, and other partners who help us demonstrate our theory of change and ultimately achieve our mission. Learn more about how you can become more engaged in our work.
Invitations to Engage